The Trader Number 28
by Banshee Wolf
Summary: Liz accidentally gets abducted by some Human Traffickers that are intending to sell her into the sex trade - you can imagine this doesn't sit very well with Reddington and the hunt is on. Dark and gritty. Takes place around Season 2. More explanations and disclaimers inside.


**AUTHOR'S NOTES: **So - I am a terrible person. I love putting my favorite characters into terrible situations and the fic is just another sample of that. There is obvious (but not graphic) rape and abuse, so if you aren't into that don't read it. But, I keep those scenes short - just cause I like them to go through it, doesn't mean I particularly enjoy writing it out. Idk - it's complicated. ANYWAY. I have every intention -currently- to continue this, but with NaNoWriMo starting in two days I may not get back to it right away. Knowing this, I made sure to end it on a note that wouldn't leave you reeling after a cliff hanger - cause I _HATE_ that. This part is meant to be the first episode in a two episode run, I feel like this could easily make a full episode...but that's just my opinion. I even tried to keep the title like a title episode? I made up the alias and found an unused number on the Blacklist Wiki. Also, this is my first Blacklist fic! I haven't finished the series yet (part way through season 6 currently) and I started this around season 2, so that's about where it's set. Very AU by the end of it, I expect. I also have LOTS of ideas for other fics so I'm sure you'll see me around more, even if I don't end up coming back to this one. *I do not own Blacklist or the characters - I am nowhere near creative enough to come up with that stuff on my own. **I made up all of the street names and address and bar names and all of that stuff. I have never been to DC - I have NO idea about where anything is in relation to everything else. So if you live there - I apologize for what I'm sure is a glaring inaccuracy. Lots of notes right? SORRY! On to the fic!

**PART I**

The Trader #28

She was scrambling, running barefoot through the darkened forest she'd found herself in and she had no idea where she was, or where she was going. They were coming for her - that much she knew for sure. She also knew there were others that would be looking for her, and it was only a matter of time before they found her - and she would be safe. The question was… who would find her first?

24 Hours Earlier

Aprox. 22:00 (10:00PM)

Glasses clinked all around and Elizabeth laughed with her coworkers. They were at a bar, a small little thing just a few blocks from the hotel she was currently staying in. They were all here. Samar, Don, Amar - even Herald had made a call to his wife, letting her know he'd be late getting home. They were celebrating.

The last few days had been rough. A three day hunt for one of Red's Blacklisters, which ended successfully. For once - everything had worked out the way it was supposed to. Liz was still trying to sort out what Reddington's angle was for this one, there's always an angle with him, but for now - the FBI had won.

They had been here for an hour now, and it was getting late. The team slowly started filtering out. Herald was the first to leave, needed to get home to his wife. Amar and Samar left only a few minutes after that.

"Well, we should probably head out too." Don said as he stood up. Liz took a final sip of her drink before rising as well and following him out of the bar.

Ressler reached for his keys, and motioned towards his car parked down the street. "Need a ride to your motel?"

Liz shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. It's only a couple of blocks from here."

He nodded, and gave her a hard pat on the shoulder. "Alright, well. Get some rest."

She smirked, "No doubt Red will be pestering me first thing in the morning with a new case to push his agenda."

He nodded with a chuckle. "Yeah well - I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

He turned to walk back to his car and she turned to walk in the opposite direction.

It was late - far later than she would usually be out on her own. She kept her arm pressed against her side as she walked, the comforting feel of her side arm pushing against her under her jacket.

The first block passed without incident, and she slowly relaxed. She had lived in this city long enough to be comfortable here, and having a gun definitely made that easier.

She was about half way back to her hotel when she felt the hair on the back of neck stand on end. She glanced around, but nothing seemed particularly out of place. The street was largely deserted, as was typical of this neighborhood at this time of night. Streetlights lit the sidewalk every thirty yards or so, not as well lit as she would prefer, but better than nothing.

She continued walking. She kept her hand on her gun. She couldn't quite shake the feeling that she was being followed. By who? Red? Surely he wouldn't stalk her like this. He had never once intentionally hurt her or scared her...following her home from the bar seemed a little out of character for him.

However, she thought, it wouldn't be the first time he'd set someone on her for protection. Walking down a dark street by herself at night...she could easily imagine that someone following at a distance, there if she needed assistance. She sighed, yeah - that was probably it. She let herself relax a little, took her hand off her gun.

That was probably it.

She was at a darker section of the street when a black van pulled up a few paces behind her.

_Get to the hotel Lizzie._ Her inner voice that told her she was in trouble - which had lately taken on Reddington's voice, rang out in her head. _Get to the hotel. Only two more blocks._

She nodded to herself, and picked up her pace. The van following kept up with her, and she knew for sure that something was up.

_Call for help._ This had to be someone that knew about her, probably trying to get to Reddington. She couldn't imagine anyone targeting her solely for her F.B.I connection. Reddington on the other hand - she'd been used more than a few times in an attempt to get under his skin. She pulled out her phone and slid her finger across the screen to unlock it. _Keep moving._

She heard an engine rev, and then just as quickly tires screeched. She reached for her gun as she heard the van's door slide open, with her other hand her fingers rushed for Reddington's contact in her phone.

She was moving to hit the call button when a force hit her from behind, sending her sprawling to the ground. The sudden impact jarred her hands enough that the fun fired as she fell. The force that hit her was on top of her now, slamming her face into the sidewalk and throwing her gun and cell phone out of reach.

She struggled, tried to twist around to get a better position - there was nothing she could do with her face on the sidewalk. Before she had half a moment to even try it, there was a cloth over her nose and mouth, and a very distinct smell.

_NO._ she screamed through the rag, trying to push herself up. The heavy body holding her down slammed her head again into the sidewalk. She gasped as pain split through her head, and more of the dreadful chemical filled her.

And then there was nothing.

Aprox. 02:45 (2:45AM)

"- a cop man! What are we gonna do!?"

She was starting to wake up. Her head hurt. She started to reach for it, tried to figure out was going on, but her hand felt resistance. She opened her eyes now, and looked up.

She was handcuffed, to what looked like a bedpost. For the first time she looked around properly - she was in a room, a small room. There was nothing here except a bed, and a dresesr against the wall. Both of her hands were cuffed to the headboard, it was exceedingly uncomfortable.

There were two men, one left immediately upon realizing she was awake, which just left the one.

"Oh look, sleeping beauty is finally waking up."

"Who are you?"

He smirked, and moved to sit on the bed beside her. He had to be in his forties, dark hair, and a scar that ran up his left cheek. "Oh, I don't think that matters too much. I'm far more interested in who you are. " He held up her FBI identification. "Agent Elizabeth Keen."

Her eyes narrowed. "As if you didn't already know that."

He shrugged - "I didn't, actually. We were just out for a regular pick up. We never would have picked you had we known you were with the FBI"

She was silent. This didn't make any sense. "This isn't about me?"

He laughed at her "Oh it is absolutely about you - a beautiful woman, walking alone so late at night? We couldn't let that opportunity pass. But I get the sense that isn't what you meant. No - we were not hunting you specifically."

"You should let me go."

He laughed again. "Oh - no I don't think we can do that."

"People will be looking for me."

"Well, you are a government employee. I would be very surprised if nobody came looking for you."

"That's not who you need to be worried about."

He laughed _again._ "Oh, let me guess. You have a big, bad, boyfriend who's going to come looking for you?"

She smirked, "Something like that."

"I'm not worried about that."

"You should be. He isn't going to take this well. He's very protective of me."

"Well - if he was so protective he shouldn't have left you walking home alone so late at night."

She closed her eyes. So, the person following her hadn't been one of Reddington's men. She'd taken his "friends" for granted, and it had made her complacent. She never should have let her guard down like that.

But if there was one thing that she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was that it wouldn't be long before Reddington found out she was missing. And after that he'd be hunting for her.

"He's coming for you. And you better hope my work friends find you before he does. The FBI will put you in a cage for the rest of your life, but you won't have to worry about that with him. He doesn't take prisoners."

The man smirked. "And who, might I ask, is this man that is coming for you?"

"Raymond Reddington."

She was satisfied to watch the color drain from his face. "Oh, so you've heard of him?"

"Everyone in this line of work has heard of him."

"Then you know what he's capable of."

He was silent for a moment. "Well. Now we will just have to make sure you're taken care of."

Somehow she didn't think he meant as a house guest. She pulled at the handcuffs. "He'll kill you if you hurt me. He'll kill you and everyone you've ever talked to. I've seen him do it."

He shrugged. "Maybe. But he's got to find us first. And in the meantime…"

He reached over and ran a hand up her leg. "Why don't you and I have a little fun?"

She kicked at him, but he was on top of her in an instant. She screamed at him as he roughly pulled at her pants, she heard seams splitting.

"HE'S GONNA KILL YOU." She bellowed at him.

His hand came across her face then, hard enough for her to see stars for a moment. That was all he needed. He was between her legs in an instant and she screamed and pulled at the handcuffs as he forced himself into her.

_I'll kill them Lizzie._ She could hear him in her head. _No one will ever hurt you._

"He's gonna kill you…" but it was barely a whisper now. The man was hurting her now and she wasn't going to give him the gift of any more screams. She knew that would only push him harder.

She heard him laugh, and he teased her between pants and thrusts - "What, the fight's gone out of you already? That didn't take long. I'm disappointed."

He rammed her hard with those last words, and she felt his release.

He collapsed on top of her for a moment, and she fantasized about Red slitting his throat. "He'll come for me."

The man nodded and stood up, pulled his pants up. "Oh, I have no doubt. But the question is, how much of you will be left for him to come for?"

He opened the door then, and she saw the man that had left previously strut back through the door, along with a few other men. "Brace yourself, dear." Her captor said, "you're going to have a long night."

He closed the door then and walked away to the sound of her screaming and fighting.

Aprox 06:45 (6:45AM)

Reddington knocked on her hotel door. It was early still, barely seven am. But surely she wasn't still sleeping?

When no response came he sighed. And knocked again, harder. Still no response.

"This is highly unusual." he said to nobody but himself - Dembe was waiting in the car.

He reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet and slipped out the key he'd had made. Once he'd had her room number it had been no trouble at all to have a copy made. He'd never used it of course! He valued her privacy far too much to just barge in anytime...but just for circumstances such as these. There was something wrong, he could feel it.

He slid the card into the door and pushed it open, hoping very much that he would find his north star in a simple deep sleep. He was severely disappointed to find that this was not the case. In fact, there was no sign at all that she'd been here all night.

His lips pursed into a line as he moved through the room, checking for any signs of recent inhabitance. But there were none. The sink and shower were both dry, no one had showered or brushed their teeth at least since the night before. Her work shoes weren't at their usual place just inside the door.

He reached for his phone, and dialed a number.

"Reddington?"

The voice on the other end of the line was sleepy. This did not bode well at all.

"Ressler. I'm going to need you to wake up for a moment - if you please."

"What's going on?"

"I wanted to ask you the same thing. I am standing in a very empty hotel room. Where is Agent Keen?"

"What do you mean an empty hotel room."

"Oh wake up Donald. Pay attention. Agent Keen is not in her hotel room, and there is no evidence that she has been in several hours."

There was fumbling on the other side of the line, and Raymond could hear Agent Ressler finally coming to himself. "I don't know Raymond. We all had a late night, she started back to her hotel room around 10 oclock last night."

"From where?"

"O'Malley's Bar. We were all there last night getting -"

"I don't care - gather your team and get to the Post Office. Something is wrong and we're going to find out what."

Ressler started to argue, but Raymond hung up.

He took a few more minutes to survey the room, verifying once again that there was nothing amiss, no signs of life. Then he walked towards the door, pausing in the doorway to give the hotel room a final glance. Sure, she could just be out getting coffee somewhere, or out for a run. But he'd been in this business far too long and he could feel his gut clenching. Something was wrong. And he was going to figure out what.

Barely a minute later and he was getting into the car. "She isn't here."

Dembe's eyes found his in the rear view mirror. "She isn't working?"

"Apparently not. Dembe, we need to head towards O'Malley's Bar. It should only be a few blocks away. Something happened to Elizabeth after she left the bar, but before she got back to the hotel."

Without another word the car pulled out.

The entire way Raymond had his elbow resting on the door frame, his head resting on his hand as he stared out the window. He could think of no earthly reason that she would be hanging out in this area this early in the morning. There were no decent coffee shops, no gyms.

No. Something was very wrong.

Dembe pulled to the side of the street, a few minutes later, parking directly in front of the bar.

Raymond climbed out of the car, and placed his hat on his head. "Right. Well, let's start walking."

"You don't want to check the bar?"

"There's no point - Ressler said they parted ways once they were already outside. So, to the hotel."

"We are going to walk all the way there?"

"Multiple times if we have to."

Dembe gave a wishful glance at the car before walking on, following Reddington from a few paces back.

Reddington moved slowly, swerving from one side of the sidewalk to the other.

It was still early, traffic was slowly starting to pick up, and he was worried about the crime scene being gone altogether. But, this fear didn't remain for too long, he was walking along the street when a blemish on a nearby car caught his attention. "Oh goodness."

He placed his hand on over the bullet hole, "Someone is going to be very unhappy."

"Do you think it was Elizabeth?"

Raymond sighed. "It's possible."

He stood upright once again, and looked around once again.

And he felt his heart stop in his chest - there was a cellphone. Right there on the ground.

"Dembe."

He reached down for the phone as his colleague moved over to him. He slid his finger across the screen, and saw "Nicks Pizza" staring up at him. She'd been trying to call him. In his peripheral he saw Dembe crouching down to pick up something. Raymond glanced over to see a gun in his friend's hand as he rose. He was very familiar with that gun - he had seen it in action many times.

Then his eyes found something else - blood on the sidewalk. Not a substantial amount, but even one drop was one drop too much. "Oh Lizzie."

He felt a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sure she's fine."

He shook his head. "She'd better be."

He looked around, and gave a slight sigh of relief when he spotted one of the government's tell-tale video cameras. Those pesky things were everywhere in this city, but he had never been more thankful for them than he was right now.

He took out his phone again, and dialed another number. He heard the phone click on and started speaking. "Aram, my good sir. I have some business for you."

"Reddington? What's going on? Did you find Agent Keen?"

"I am standing in front of 342 Chicago Drive. I need you to see if there is any video footage of the area last night around 10 o'clock. I need it now."

"Chicago Drive - " he was stammering. "I'll see what I can do, it'll just take a minute... What's going on?"

"Agent Keen has been taken. Find me that footage. Is Ressler there?"

There was a clicking sound as the phone went to speaker, and Ressler's voice came on.

"Reddington - what did you find?"

"Elizabeth was taken about a block and a half from the bar, so, just after 10pm if your timeline is correct. I've already pressed Aram to see about camera footage, but it may also behoove us to reach out to local law enforcement, see if there were any 911 calls reporting gunfire in the area."

"Gunfire?"

Reddington nodded, even though Ressler couldn't possibly see. "There is a bullet hole in a nearby car."

Aram's voice came back on - "I've got it! I've got the footage! The tag number is visible...one second…" Raymond stood there, tapping his foot impatiently. Finally Aram started again, "Tag number is coming back as stolen."

"Of course it is. Donald? Do let me know what you find out from PD."

He hung up and pushed the phone back into his pocket. "Well, Dembe, let's get back to the car."

They walked back in silence. Until they ID'd the van, he had no other means of tracking it down. His resources were vast, but few as fast as the FBI on a mission.

When they reached the car, he slid into the backseat and took his hat off with a sigh.

"Sir?" Dembe asked as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"The Post Office. We need to get the information as they do."

Dembe nodded, and without another word, the car pulled out.

He took out Elizabeth's phone again, and unlocked the phone. "Nick's Pizza" was still there - glaring up at him.

"She'd been trying to call me." The thought put a warm feeling in the pit of his belly. She'd been in trouble, and she'd _known_ she was in trouble. She could have called anyone - probably _should_ have called anyone else. But she was in trouble, and who did she call? Him. She called him.

"Raymond..."

"She knew they were coming for her. She was trying to call me."

"She's a strong girl, I'm sure she'll be ok."

Ok. Ok? Raymond didn't want her to just be "ok." If anything happened to her…

He shook his head. He wouldn't allow that. "No. She'll be fine."

Aprox. 08:00 (8:00AM)

Elizabeth lay on the bed. Her hands were still cuffed to the bed posts. She was sore. She was tired. She was half naked - they had given her a very plain white nightgown...there really was nothing to it. She wondered how long she'd been here. There were no windows to see outside. Had the sun come up yet? Did anyone know she was missing?

She felt like she'd been in this room for days. Surely by now someone had noticed she wasn't around? Surely Red knew by now…

And she knew Red would find her well before the FBI did. They were bound by rules, policies. Reddington had no such restrictions. He always found her first.

She just had to stay alive long enough for him to do it.

She heard the door opening, and she looked across to see the first man from last night.

"Well, how did you sleep?"

She narrowed her eyes, and didn't respond.

"Not great then? I thought for sure we'd wear you out."

She gritted her teeth and looked at the wall.

"Aw, come on Lizzie don't be like that."

_Lizzie._ She looked over at him. She didn't want him calling her that. Only Red called her that.

"Lizzie?" She asked. Of all the shortened Elizabeths, he'd settled on that one?"

He shrugged, "What's the matter - you don't like it? I thought about Beth, or Liz...but Lizzie just seemed like more fun."

He started unbuckling his belt - again? Seriously?

"What," She started. "The thirty seconds you had last night wasn't enough for you?"

He snorted, and continued removing his pants. He sat down on the side of the bed and leaned in, hovering just above her face. "I'm going to cure you of all this trash talk. You're not very good at it."

"Is that why you stoop to this level? You can only last a few seconds - I bet it's hard to maintain an ACTUAL relationship. I don't think I'd hang around someone who -"

She was silenced by the backside of his hand hitting her face.

"You're going to learn to shut your mouth."

"Or what? What are you going to do that you haven't already?"

"Oh," he said, as he lifted himself over her. "I'm sure I can think of something."

Aprox 08:45 (8:45PM)

The big yellow doors opened and Reddington stepped out of the freight elevator, Ressler was already walking over to him. "I've been on the phone all morning. Metro PD, Washington DC PD, Capitol Police. "

Reddington walked over to Aram's station, setting his hat down. "And?"

"This may not be connected, but there's been a string of abductions lately."

"Abductions? String? Do go on."

"Women have been taken from all over the city and suburbs. One every two or three weeks."

Cooper arrived now, "Have any of the women been found?"

Aram shook his head. "None so far. But, witnesses saw a black van matching the one that took Agent Keen at every one."

Samar shook her head. "So it's a human trafficking ring."

Reddington nodded, "I would assume so. And they've got Elizabeth."

Ressler sighed. "They probably didn't even know that she's a cop, just a woman walking alone at night - wrong place, wrong time."

Reddington nodded once again. "And we're sure none of these women have shown up elsewhere?"

Ressler's eyes nodded "What do you mean?"

"Please, Donald, put it together. If it's human trafficking - they aren't just taking these girls. They are sending them somewhere. They must have been sold to someone at some point...that's the entire point of these things."

Aram jumped in now, "We have a list of missing persons who correspond with several of the abductions. They go back months and months. Maybe - given a little time, I some of the older ones may resurface."

Reddington's lips pursed into a thin line. "If they are being sold off, they'll be going to the highest bidder. Check private airports - these guys are top criminals, not unlike myself, they won't be traveling coach. Look for gentlemen with their lady friends, and see if any of those ladies match the missing persons."

He picked up his hat and placed it on his head, "Donald - do keep me updated. Meanwhile, I'm going to work. I've often received invitations to auctions. I find such things absolutely abominable and have refused to go. Now, however, they have given me a good reason to attend. I'll let you know what I find."

He headed towards the freight elevator and stepped inside. He turned then, and gave Ressler a final nod as the doors closed.

Aprox. 17:00 (5:00 PM)

Reddington hated this place, and all places like it. Even the Concierge of Crime had some morals - he would never, EVER, condone the kidnapping and selling of human beings. All the evil he had done in all the wretched hives in all the world - he prided himself in being able to say that he had very rarely hurt innocent human beings.

He also hated waiting. He'd had to wait all day, as the auction didn't start till seven - waiting had been torture.

But now he was here, with Dembe in tow of course. They perused the room. It wasn't much, just rows and rows of chairs surrounding a raised platform. Right now, the chairs were all empty. All of the patrons were gathered in the back of the room, browsing the "merchandise." Servers weaved in and out of the crowd, trays of champagne on their arm.

Reddington made his way through the small crowd to find a small display. It was a picture of a woman, titled "Auction Item Number 7" along with a brief description: blond hair, blue eyes, 172 pounds and 5' 7".

"My, she's a tall one."

As he made his way around the room, he stopped at each display, thanking whatever God there was that none of them were his Elizabeth. As they came to the last one, he took in a deep breath. "She's not here."

Dembe nodded, "That's good at least."

Reddington gave a small smile. "Indeed. But, now we have to figure out where they are holding the items that haven't been listed yet."

He hated speaking about her like that - _an item. _She was so much more that. All of these women were.

"Dembe, go outside, put in a call to Ressler. Tell him our current position. He can put an end to this."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find the manager of course."

Dembe nodded, "Be careful."

Reddington nodded acknowledgement and the two parted ways.

Raymond glanced around the room. Upon seeing no obvious person in charge - no one giving direction, no one overseeing the displays, he took it upon himself to flag down one of the servers. "Good Sir, can you tell me who is in charge of this wonderful establishment?"

The boy, for he couldn't have been older than twenty, nodded. "Mr Tursley? Yes, sir. He's 'round the back, this way."

"Wonderful." Raymond followed as the boy made his way past the displays and into a small side door.

Inside the door, was an office space, a large desk with a large man sitting behind it. Reddington smiled politely, "Mr Tursley, I presume? I'm Ray-"

"Raymond Reddington!" Tursley interrupted, "I was beginning to wonder when you would pay us a visit."

Raymond nodded, "Of course, I couldn't stay away forever. However, I'm very saddened to say that you don't have anything in this lot that meets my needs."

"No?" The man stood and turned around, reaching for a binder. "Well, I'm sure we can find something for you!" He slid the binder across the desk, and Reddington picked it up. "A sell to a client like you would be wonderful for business. I'll tell ya what - if you see something you like, I'll set it aside for ya."

"Wonderful - these are your recent acquisitions?"

He nodded, "The most recent came in just this morning. - She won't be ready for a week or two though."

"Won't be ready?" Raymond didn't like the sound of that.

"Some of the women we acquire require some...breaking. We pride ourselves on delivering well behaved and obedient girls. Some require more...conditioning, than others."

Alright, he had heard enough. He didn't need to be told what "breaking" and "conditioning" meant. Imagining his Elizabeth going through that process, probably as he stood there talking, wasting time..rage grew inside him.

He flipped open the binder and sure enough, there on the first page - Lizzie's unconscious form was cuffed to a bed. "This isn't a very flattering picture."

The man nodded, "Yes, well, we get better images of them after the conditioning, once they are ready to be transferred."

Seeing her like that made his blood boil, he scanned the page, seeing one small thing that made him smile. An address.

The man took the smile as confirmation. "So, I'll put her aside for you then?"

Raymond smirked, "Oh, there'll be no need for that. Can I give you one small piece of advice?"

"Advice? From you? Of course!"

Raymond closed the binder and held it close to his body, his other arm reaching behind his back. "Invest in more security."

He pulled his small handgun out of the holster on his back and emptied it into the man behind the desk.

The sound of the gunfire triggered screaming out in the main room, and he knew it was time to leave. He opened the binder once more, tore out Elizabeth's page and dropped the rest of the thing back on the desk for the FBI to find on their arrival.

He emerged from the office to find all hell had broken loose in the main room. It was very clear now who was a career criminal like himself and who wasn't. The ones who were had already cleared out, which was obvious because the crowd had decreased by nearly half. What remained were their lackeys, rushing through to delete every indication that their boss had been here. Reddington rolled his eyes as he pushed through to the exit and emerged.

Dembe was waiting at the car. "Had some luck I presume?"

"Of course I did. Get in the car, I have an address. It's going to take us a while to get there and we're burning daylight."

Aprox 18:00 (6:00PM)

When Ressler and Samar showed up, the place was still in chaos. Local police had shown up and set up a perimeter, people were huddled in groups. One of the lead officers approached, and Ressler flashed his badge. "FBI - Agents Ressler and Navabi. What can you tell us?"

"We got on scene approximately ten minutes ago. One casualty in the back room, multiple gunshots to the chest. Everything is left just like we found it - figured you'd want to have a look."

Ressler nodded, "And the girls?"

The officer sighed, "Ten of them. They're all alive. They were in a separate back room behind the stage. We are working on getting identities and notifying next of kin."

"Great, thanks."

Ressler and Samar pushed past him then and headed through the main room and into the back office.

"Well, looks like Reddington beat us to him." Ressler said as he looked over the scene.

Samar picked up the binder and opened it. "Ressler, this looks like a list of girls that haven't been auctioned yet. Keen isn't in here - but I expect that Reddington saw this already and took her page. But there are others - each one has listed where they were taken from, and where they're being held."

She was flipping through pages, "Ressler, there are three different locations. We can hit these and take out this entire ring."

Ressler nodded, "Send the address to Aram to dispatch other teams. We need to figure out which one Keen is at."

"I don't suppose Reddington will let us in on it?"

Ressler shook his head, "They've got Liz, and there's no telling what condition she's in. Whatever his shortcomings, you don't mess with Keen. He won't loop us in until he's already cleared it out."

Aprox 20:00 (8:00PM)

She was still laying on the bed. Still chained to the headboard. The guy that had been torturing her was buttoning his pants again. She snorted, "Oh look, you made a full minute and a half this time."

He chuckled. "Gees, you sure are asking for it."

She shrugged, "Can't help it. Guess it's in my DNA."

He rolled his eyes as he put his things back in his pocket - wallet and cellphone among them, and headed for the door.

"Wait" she said.

He paused, and turned back to her with a smirk. "What? You want some more already?"

She smiled, "if I did I'm not sure you could provide it. No - How long have I been in here for? I have lost track of time. What I DO know, is I haven't gotten to piss since I got here. Can I please - _please_ \- use the restroom?"

He hesitated. "I guess I can allow that."

He opened the door, "Jake. Come in here."

Liz watched as one of the boys from last night came into stand in the doorway. "Ms Keen would like to restroom break. I'm going to release her cuffs, if she tries anything - anything. Shoot her."

Liz gulped as he leaned cautiously over the bed to unlock the handcuffs. She pulled her hands down, and rubbed her wrists. They were badly bruised from her pulling at them, and there was even a little blood - but it was minimal. She smirked. _He's going to kill them._ She stood up slowly and allowed the man to pull her towards the door. _Everything they've done...everything they do...he won't let any of them get out of here alive._

His hand was rough on her arm. _That's right. Leave another bruise. PLEASE._

She wondered if Reddington knew she was missing yet. Surely he did. But she knew he probably didn't have many leads to find her. She had to get him one. She had to think of something. And then she had to stall.

"Here you are." He opened the door. "There's a towel in the closet - give yourself a shower too."

She stared at him, surprised. "A shower? Really?"

He smirked, "I'm not a complete monster."

She watched him warily as she walked into the small bathroom, which resulted in her tripping over her own feet. She fell forward, but he reached out to catch her. She smiled at him, "Maybe you're not."

She stood up and watched as he closed the door on her. She immediately reached to turn the water on, and then looked down at his cell phone in her hands. He was so egotistical - he hadn't even notice her hand slip into his pocket when she "fell." She slid open the unlock screen - and thanked god it hadn't been passcode protected.

She opened the maps application. Turns out they were north of DC. A lot north. But just off of highway 97. She tapped the current location, and took a screenshot. Immediately she started a new message, putting in Reddington's number, attached the screenshot, typed "- L." and hit send.

Then she repeated the process to Ressler.

She deleted the messages, deleted the screenshot, and barely had time to piss before there was a banging on the door and the door flew open.

"I think you have something that belongs to me."

She smirked, "Now he's definitely coming. You'll never get out of this house alive."

"What did you do?"

She held up the phone, taunting him. "Maybe now you'll learn to keep a passcode on your phone."

"I've also learned something else."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I think it's time that we put you out of your misery."

Aprox 20:15 (8:15PM)

Raymond's phone was buzzing. He pulled it out to see a text from a number he didn't recognize. "Well this is curious."

He opened the message and saw the screenshot, and who it was from. He let out a breath of relief he'd been holding well over twelve hours. The address she'd given him matched the one they were already in route to.

Thirty minutes. Thirty minutes away. She'd been reasonably safe before - sure, going through hell...but they would have kept her alive. But, if they discovered her messages that would no longer be the case. "Hold on Lizzie. We're coming."

Aprox. 20:30 (8:30PM)

It was starting to get dark, when the man pushed her down the porch steps. For the first time she saw a little of the area they were around. There was a barn, a couple horses in a field. A kennel full of what looked like hunting dogs, but in the low light it was hard to tell for sure.

He pushed her forward. "Walk."

"Where are we going?"

"To your grave. Walk." He pushed her forward again.

"I don't have any shoes…"

"Sweetheart, where you're going, you aren't going to need them."

"He'll come for me."

"And we'll be ready. But I figure we have a minimum of an hour before he gets here - plenty of time to kill you and get out of here."

_I wouldn't be so sure…_ knowing him he was at least in the right direction.

The man pushed her again, towards the barn. And then past it.

She stumbled along, barefoot. "Where are we going? How far out do we have to go just for you to kill me?"

"Far enough."

He finally pulled her to a stop and pushed her down to her knees. She felt the barrel of the gun press against the back of her head. She snorted. "You're not even going to look me in the eyes. You're such a coward."

There was that chuckle again. "You know what?" The gun was pulled away from her head. "Fine. You've been fun - I'll give you that at least."

And so he moved around her, and held the gun to her forehead. Then she knew she'd survive. This, she had been trained for.

In one swift movement, she reached up, grabbing a hold of the gun even as she ducked her head as the gun went off. She felt as the bullet missed her head by mere inches - she wouldn't be surprised if she'd lost some hair. Her ears were ringing, but she pushed up and slammed him down to the ground, the gun in her hands. "You shouldn't have brought me out here alone."

He started to get up, moved to charge her, and she pulled the trigger.

She'd meant to hit him square in the chest, but she missed - her bullet slamming his shoulder and throwing him backwards. She moved over to him - he would live.

_I'll kill him Lizzie._ She could imagine Red getting his hands on the man laying below her. _Slowly._

She smirked. "He'll be here soon."

He glared up at her, but didn't have a chance to say anything before another voice shouted. "Mike?"

The voice was coming from around the barn, coming towards her. "They're getting the girls together, be outta here in fifteen."

She held the gun up once more just as the other guy came into sight. He was still reaching for his gun as she put two rounds in his chest, this time her aim had been true.

He crumpled to the ground.

She knew it would only be a matter of time before the rest of them came out, and she wasn't entirely sure how many rounds she had left. So she turned and started to run towards the woods.

A grip around her ankle tripped her up, and she crashed to the ground. "You're not going anywhere!"

She screamed as she tried to jerk her foot away, to no avail. His body jerked along with her foot, but he refused to let go. So she brought her other foot up to kick at him, the heel of her foot slammed into his nose, and he released her.

Then she was scrambling away, off to the side. She made sure to keep her grip on the gun firm as she struggled to her feet and ran, just as the voices rose from the house.

Aprox 21:00 (9:00PM)

Reddington was growing anxious as they came closer. The road had turned from pavement to gravel a mile back, and they still felt no closer to their destination. Living this far outside of civilization...there was far more privacy. Any number of horrible things could be happening. And it was getting dark now.

They finally pulled up to what looked like any other house on a farm. There was a barn, and horses, and dogs howling. What was odd to him though, was that there didn't seem to be any guards - no one looking out.

He got out of the car and put his hat on as he walked to the trunk, which Dembe already had open. He was pulling out a duffel bag and Reddington happily reached for his favorite shotgun. He prayed they would find her alive - if they didn't...he looked up at the house. It would be a shame to have to burn it to the ground.

They wasted no time. Stomped up the stairs and kicked the door open. They were standing in a living room, they could see the kitchen and dining room from where they stood in the front door. "Very lovely - open floor plan. I love those countertops."

They moved through the house, clearing one room after another. Nothing. If they didn't find something soon, he was going to lose his mind.

"Raymond."

He turned to see Dembe standing in front of an open door. He motioned into the door - "Basement."

Reddington nodded. Of course they had a basement. He lead the way down the stairs, his shotgun held at the ready. He'd been hoping to find a large room, with obvious signs of habitation. But no - this was a hallway.

He groaned. Nothing could ever be easy.

They moved to the first closed door and kicked it in. It was a bathroom. "Next."

Dembe was already at the next door. "Raymond."

He was already there, rushing past him into the room. It looked like your average bedroom. Except most people didn't get handcuffed to the bed. The two sets still hung from the posts, one on each side. There were spots of blood here and there, but nothing that seemed life threatening. Still - the implications of what he was seeing...he felt his skin crawl. He was going to kill them all.

"Raymond."

He looked up to see Dembe nudging a pile of torn clothes with his shoe. Raymond felt his throat clinch, and moved over to investigate. Yes, this was definitely her jacket. And her shoes - the ones he'd expected to find in the hotel room. "I'm going to kill them all."

He gathered her things, and looked to his companion. "I am going to check around outside. This is her stuff, but seeing as she herself is not in here, they must have moved her. You clear the rest of this god forsaken basement...make sure there aren't any other poor girls down here."

Dembe nodded, "Be careful."

"I will - you too my friend."

He left his friend then, he moved back up the stairs and back over to the car. He silently cursed the universe - it had started to rain. He was just closing the door when he heard a gunshot ring out. He didn't bother ducking - it was far too far away. But his heart seized for a moment. "Lizzie."

The shot had come from the forest. That meant one of two things. Option One - They had taken her out there to kill her. Option Two - She was running.

He was going to vote for option two. The first option was unacceptable. "Keep moving Lizzie. I'm coming."

Aprox 21:30

_Keep your head down Lizzie. Keep moving. _She did. Oh she did. It had gotten even darker in the twenty minutes or so since she fled the barn, and worse - it had started to rain. She stumbled through the trees. She could feel her feet bleeding, she'd already slashed them with thorns and over tree roots. God, what she'd do for a pair of shoes.

The gun she'd stolen was still in her grasp, and it was a good thing because she could hear others crashing through the brush a bit behind her. She knew there had to be at least two coming after her. She only knew of four men, and she'd already put bullets in two of them. So that left two. She was going on faith that there hadn't been more than that.

She risked a glance behind her. Nothing - just more trees and darkness. She turned and surged forward again. She had to keep moving.

A gunshot rang out behind her, and she bit back a scream as a part of the tree beside her exploded. They could see her now, thanks to this white nightgown. She ran again.

Branches cut at her arms and legs as she went, but she kept up a hard pace. She had to.

After a few minutes, she broke through a tree line. She came to a stop. About a foot below her was what looked like a dried up creek bed. She jumped down and took off. The going was clear here, and she could put much more distance between herself and her pursuers. If she could keep up this pace, she just might be ok.

Aprox 21:45 (9:45PM)

The horse he'd stolen ran through the dark forest much easier than he would have. He was a city boy after all - and was no longer as proficient in this particular landscape as he may have been years ago.

But Lizzie was counting on him - he needed to cover ground, and fast. He had also released the hounds, given them a good sniff of her clothes, and they had taken off.

He had, of course, discovered the two bodies near the barn. Well, one body. He had moved the other to the edge of the barn, using a rope he'd found to tie the man's good arm to a post. The man had been unconscious when Raymond first tied him, but had begun to stir as Raymond was finishing up.

The man chuckled as he watched Raymond finish the knot. "So - you did come."

Raymond said nothing, but rose to leave - this man didn't deserve his time right now. "I'll deal with you later."

The man below him sneered. "That's right - go rescue your girlfriend. Well - what's left of her. We all had a lot of fun with your girl."

Raymond felt his hands clinch into fists. "So - you're telling me, confessing to me, that you took my Lizzie off the streets, hand cuffed her to a bed, and _took advantage_ of her? Is that what you're telling me?"

The man chuckled. "Took advantage - you make it sound so...gentle. I would hardly call it that."

Raymond had felt his teeth grind, as he squatted down to the man's level. "Well - you've made this much easier for me."

"Yeah? How's that?"

"Because now there's not a force on earth that can stop me."

He had punched the man then, with more force than he could ever remember putting into a punch like that. The man's head had bounced off of the barn wall, and lilted to the side, unconscious.

But now the horse was moving through the forest, following the dogs who seemed to be hot on the trail and in a matter of minutes the dogs reached what looked to him like a dry creek bed. He pulled his horse to a stop inside the treeline. The creek bed was largely rock, and with the rain it would be too slick to risk the horse. The dogs were fine though - and took off down the bed, and Raymond spurred his horse along the treeline.

It didn't take long to catch up with them, he was on horseback after all, and they were navigating a progressively difficult creek bed. He imagined his Lizzie traversing this same creek bed - in whatever state she was in. His blood boiled.

He pulled his horse to a stop and dismounted. He would follow on foot from here. The two men that had been pursuing Liz had stopped now, obviously confused by the dogs. They were looking around for any sign of whoever had let the dogs out. They were looking for him.

_Well._ Thought Reddington, _let me oblige them._

He stepped out of the treeline, his shotgun raised. The shot rang out and the first of the two went down. The second whirled around, but Raymond was already pulling the trigger again, and he was down before he even got his gun up.

He moved to stand over the two thugs. Disappointed that they'd gotten a death so easy. But alas, he didn't have time to enjoy it. Not right now. He had to find Elizabeth. He reloaded his shotgun, just in case, and continued after the dogs. "I'm coming Lizzie."

Aprox 22:00 (10:00PM)

She ran. This wasn't easy anymore, it was still raining, so the rocks were slick, and not necessarily stable even without that. She slipped multiple times, stubbed her toes, cut her feet on some of the jagged edges...she didn't know how much longer she could keep this up.

Suddenly she was falling, crashing forward. She'd put her weight on the wrong stone and now she came down hard. Her knees slamming into the bedrock and she rolled onto her side. She didn't want to get back up. She bit back sobs. _Get up Lizzie._

_I don't want to._ She was tired. She was scared. She didn't want to run anymore.

_You have to get up Lizzie._ She cursed his voice in her head, determined to keep her alive.

She got her arms under her, and slowly pushed herself up again. Then she was moving again.

Behind her she heard more gunshots. Her heart raced, had those been from a shotgun? There was a distinct difference between handguns and shotguns...those had definitely sounded like a shotgun…

But she couldn't afford to wait to find out. There was every possibility that she was imagining it - hearing what she wanted to hear.

She moved forward again, and almost immediately slipped and stumbled again, she bit back a cry as her hands crashed onto the stone.

She couldn't keep this up. She couldn't go any further.

She looked around through tear filled vision, and saw a large boulder. She could hide behind it. It wouldn't be much, but it would shield her from bullets, and she could shoot the first person that came around it.

She pushed herself once more and slowly, carefully made her way over to it, and huddled down in it's shadow, her hands shaking as she pointed the gun up the way she had come.

She could hear the dogs barking now, they were getting close.

This was it.

The next moments passed very slowly. The barking got closer. And closer.

Then she could hear the footsteps, a man carefully placing his feet so as not to fall.

Her heart slammed in her chest.

The dogs came around the boulder - they had found her.

He was here.

This was it.

She saw a figure come around the boulder, and fired the gun.

Aprox 22:10 (10:10PM)

His hat flew off his head as the gun fired, and he bolted back a step to hide behind the boulder.

"Lizzie!" He called, "Lizzie - it's me. It's ok."

There was silence, and then he heard a choked sob. "Red?"

Her voice cracked and he ground his teeth. He was almost afraid to see her now. "Yes Lizzie, it's me. I'm here."

"Lizzie, I'm coming out now...I would really prefer if you didn't shoot me."

There was no response, but he could hear her labored breathing, could practically feel her adrenaline pumping through his own veins.

And then he was moving. Raising out of the crouched position he'd taken and coming around the boulder, slowly, his hands raised.

She was still holding the gun up, it was still pointed right at him - she was shaking. His heart broke as he took in her state - completely soaked, bruised...dried blood that was being washed away from the rain. "Lizzie…"

He took a slow step forward, and when she didn't shoot him he took another one and knelt down to her level. He was still a step away, just out of arm's reach. She was watching him, as if she didn't fully believe he was actually there. "Lizzie...I need you to put the gun down, sweetheart."

He could literally see when she realized that he was, in fact, right in front of her. He watched as her eyes lit in recognition, and watched as her entire face sagged in relief. Her eyes moved to the gun she was holding, and back up to him. He saw her realize she'd almost shot him, watched as an entirely new type of horror crossed her features. She practically threw the gun away in an apparent panic.

"Lizzie! Hey, it's ok, you don't have to -"

He was interrupted by her crashing into him, he'd barely had time to lift his arms up and out of the way before she was there, clinging to him as if her life depended on it. He brought his arms down to wrap around her tightly.

"I knew you would come, I knew you would."

He took in a deep breath, keeping his own tears at bay as he nodded against her head, and kissed her hair. "I will always come. Always."

And then she was breaking - the strength she'd been using to keep moving was gone from her now. Now that he was here. Now that she was safe. Her body shook violently from sobs before silencing altogether.

"Lizzie?"

But she had collapsed against him, all of her fight gone.

"Lizzie."

He clung to her, just thanking whatever higher beings existed - if there were any - that she was safe in his arms. He buried his face in her hair for a moment before slowly pulling back to lay her down slowly. He pulled out his phone, and opened it, using it's meager light to get a better view of her.

"Oh, Lizzie.."

He'd never seen her so disheveled. Even the Stewmaker hadn't left her this bad. The thin gown she was wearing was completely soaked through, clung to her in all the worst ways, and her hair clung to her face. She was covered in bruises and scratches and partly healed cuts.

He wanted to raise them all from the dead so that he could kill them again - and then do it again.

He took off his jacket, and wrapped it around her. Then he walked the few steps to where his hat lay, a very clear bullet hole through the top of it. He chuckled, giving her a glance before he placed it back on his heads before returning to his charge.

He reached his arms under her and lifted her off the ground. This was going to take a while.

It took him ten minutes to get back to the horse, and after that the traveling was much easier. He loaded her up before getting on himself, and repositioning her so that he could get his arms around her.

When they made it back to the car, Dembe was waiting for them. Reddington carefully dismounted and slid Lizzie off and back into his arms.

"Is she ok?"

Reddington shook his head. "Call Mr Kaplan. We are going to need the medical staff."

"Yes sir."

Dembe opened the car door but Raymond shook his head as he approached "Dembe, quickly - on the other side of the barn there is a man tied to a post, we need him -"

"Already in the trunk sir."

Raymond nodded, thinking, not for the first time, that he had the best help money could buy. "Good man."

He lowered Elizabeth down into the backseat before climbing in after her, lifting her head so it rested in his lap.

Dembe sank into the driver's seat, his phone to his ear, talking to Mr Kaplan.

Raymond wasn't listening. His fingers stroked Lizzie's face, moving the hair from her eyes. With a sigh he took out his phone and dialed Ressler.

"Reddington? We're on the way - we are about fifteen minutes out."

"No need to rush - I've taken care of it."

"You have her? Is she ok?"

"She's.." Raymond grimaced, and stroked her hair again. "Alive. I'm taking her to get medical help."

Ressler didn't reply for a moment so Reddington continued. "The building is clear, so it should be simple for you to get what you need. I'll let you know her location once she is safe and settled."

He hung up the phone.

The car was moving now, and Dembe spoke from the front seat. "Mr Kaplan will have everything ready when we arrive."

Raymond didn't say anything. Didn't nod, or acknowledge in anyway. He just kept looking down at his Elizabeth, still unconscious in his lap.

It was a quiet ride, they passed the blaring lights and sirens that Reddington assumed was the FBI. Dembe didn't attempt conversation, Reddington certainly didn't.

His mind was playing their reunion on a loop. Her rushing to him, collapsing against him. What she must have endured...he wasn't sure he wanted to know. In fact he was quite sure he didn't want to know, but he also knew he would never be able to rest until he knew.

He traced her eyebrows with his thumb, and then her cheek bones. He didn't know what he'd do if anything had happened to her - anything..permanent.

As it was, knowing what he knew, he had every intention of finding out who was funding that establishment, who they answered to. He would find every last person who knew anything about it at all - they would pay.

They had messed with the wrong person this time.

Sudden motion in his lap drew his attention from his murderous line of thought and back to the woman in his lap. She grimaced, and jerked her head, her eyebrows knitting together. He gently stroked her hair again. He desperately wanted to wake her, save her from her nightmare. But he knew that dreams were short things, and if he let her sleep through it she would be less likely to remember it when she woke.

But the jerking continued, and an audible noise escaped her. Raymond was distressed to realize he couldn't quite place the sound. It wasn't a moan, exactly. But it was definitely brought on by fear, or pain.

He placed his hand on her cheek and leaned his head back against the back of the car's seat. There was nothing he could do for her. Everything that had happened to her was his fault - he hadn't found her quick enough. Hadn't found out quick enough.

He never should have cancelled her detail. Sure, she'd been furious with him, saying she wasn't a child, she didn't need, or want, his protection. He'd fought her about it for weeks before finally consenting. And now look what had happened?

He looked down again as her squirming finally calmed again.

"Oh Lizzie. I'm so sorry…"

Aprox 23:15 (11:15PM)

Lizzie was still dreaming. She was running - rushing through a dark forest, she was completely soaked from the rain and covered mud. Suddenly a hand grabbed hold of her foot and she fell, sank to the forest floor as the hands pulled her towards them.

"No!" She called out as she tried to jerk out of their grasp, but her efforts were fruitless. There were more hands now. Hands on her shoulders, pushing her farther into the ground. "No…"

"Lizzie." His voice was so far away, he wouldn't get there in time. These hands were going to kill her and he wouldn't get there in time.

The hands had bodies now, men reached for her, grabbed at her. She screamed.

"Lizzie!"

She woke with a strangled cry as she jerked away from the hands that were still holding her. Or tried to, there was no where to go. The space was small and she felt cramped, trapped. Her eyes flew open as panic set in. She was still at the house - his coming had been a dream.

"Elizabeth!"

Her eyes moved to the source of the voice, he was there, looking down at her. They were in his car. Her panic slowly began to fade. "Red?

He nodded, and she felt his hand stroke the side of her cheek, she flinched instinctively. Watched as he slowly took his hand away, his eyes tortured. She took a ragged breath "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean -"

"No." Reddington interrupted her. "You have no reason to be sorry. You have been through something terrible, it's perfectly reasonable for you to be uncomfortable."

She shook her head. "But not with you."

She reached for his hand and placed it on her cheek and took another shaky breath. "You came for me…"

He gave a small smile, "Lizzie, we've been over this a thousand times. I will _always_ come for you."

She nodded. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it...not before…"

Her eyes filled with tears and Raymond shifted in his seat so that he could lift her up and wrap his arms around her. He couldn't admit that he'd been afraid of that too. His hand went to the back of her head, holding her close against him. "Shh. It's ok Lizzie...I made it. You're safe now. I came for you - I'll always come for you. No matter how far, or how difficult. Even to the other side of the globe - even if I'm barely alive. It doesn't matter if I'm bruised and broken - as long as there is breath in me, I will come for you."

She nodded, her head against his chest. "I kept imagining you there," she started again. "Dreamed of you breaking down the door and killing them where they stood."

He smirked "Now Lizzie." He said as he pat her head once more. "You know full well I wouldn't kill them there." He paused, remembering the man tied up in the trunk. "He's going to die very slowly."

She blinked, fear creeping into her eyes again. "He's going to...him? You brought _him _with us?"

He frowned, only now considering how she may not like him being around. "Don't worry Elizabeth - he will not hurt you again. You won't even see him."

Suddenly a thump came from the back seat, and he watched her eyes widen again. He shrugged, "I never said you wouldn't hear him."

"What are you going to do to him?"

Raymond's lips formed a hard line, and he happened to glance up and see Dembe watching him in the rearview mirror. "You don't need to know."

"Red."

He gave a sigh, moving his whole head with the effort. "Fine, Lizzie. What do you want me to tell you? Do you want me to tell you I'm going to kill him? Is that what you want? Because that's what I'm going to do - I'm going to kill him. I'm going to make him pay for every cut, every bruise, every -" he stopped abruptly. Pausing for a moment. "_Thing._ Everything he did to you he's going to pay for all of it. Everything he did to you that I couldn't protect you from."

She didn't know what to say. "You couldn't have protected me from that…"

He shook his head, getting angry now. "I could have - if you'd let me. I could have had someone with you 24/7 and this never would have happened, but you had to fight me on it constantly. You -"

He realized too late what he was saying, and looked down at her to see her eyes filling with hurt and anger. "Oh - so this is my fault?

His eyes widened "No! No - that's not what I -"

"Save it, Red." She pushed herself off of his lap, and moved to sit up right.

"Lizzie, I'm sor-"

"No, Red. Just leave it." She crossed her arms and leaned against the window.

He sat there, watching her. Fuming. Furious now - maybe more than he had been all day long. He'd just gotten her back, he was not willing to go back to their bickering so soon. "No, Elizabeth I will _not_ leave it."

She sighed and looked out the window.

"Damn it Lizzie - look at me."

He saw as her jaw tightened, and she turned to face him, a glare in her eyes that would have killed him if it were a gun.

"Lizzie - I didn't mean that the way it came out. I am sorry. It's been a long day. I realized this morning that you had been taken. I figured, initially, that it was someone using you to get to me. Which gave me some small measure of comfort - I knew you'd be safe, at least until they made contact. But after some investigating, I knew that wasn't the case. These men weren't after me. They were after _YOU_. Which meant there would be no waiting. Whatever their plans were, they would implement them immediately. I didn't have time - I had no leads at all and I didn't have time. _YOU_ didn't have time. All day I've been absolutely terrified that I wouldn't get there in time. I was terrified that I'd get there and find you and…"

He stopped now, her glare had softened a little. He took a breath to steady himself. "I thought I was going to lose you today. I was afraid I'd only find…" his voice shook, this was the first time he'd admitted it - fully admitted how afraid he'd been. "a corpse…"

"Lizzie…" he continued after a few seconds, "you don't understand how important you are to me...if I'd been too late...if I hadn't gotten there in time...I would never have forgiven myself. Not ever."

She nodded. "I know."

"No, I don't think you do."

She reached over, and took his hand. "No, Red, I do. I understand. I _KNEW_ you would come." She sighed, and brought his hand to her cheek as she had earlier. "I was just trying to stay alive until you got there." She gave a small smile. "I knew you'd come for me."

"I'll always come for you." He repeated, again.

She sighed, satisfied that the bickering was over, and leaned her head back against the seat. "I'm so tired…"

"Of course you are." He said, "You've been through a very traumatic experience...you need rest to recover."

He gently took hold of her arm and pulled her back over to him, and she slowly settled in against his side. "Sleep, Lizzie. We will be there soon."

She nodded, and one of her hands reached over to grip his shirt.

Barely two minutes later and he felt her grip loosen, and her head droop just a little. She was asleep once more.

He reached his free hand up to caress her cheek. Her face was already bruised in some places, but he could tell there would be much more in the morning. Dried blood still caked her face, and her hair was only just starting to dry out. He remembered the picture he'd pulled from the binder, of her cuffed to the bed and unconscious...he tightened his grip on her, pulling her closer.

He looked out the window as the highway lights passed by in a blur, before leaning his head down to rest on her own.


End file.
